When Mel walked through the door, Drew was so excited she couldn't stand it. Between yet another random night with Zac and the obvious night Jason had spent with Mel, Drew was ready to burst with verbal excitement.

Mel smiled at her. "Okay. So how 'bout we go and have some killer retail therapy and we can rehash the entire crazy night? My treat!"

Drew was surprised at the newfound sparkle that gleamed in Mel's eye and she dared not ruin the moment by questioning it now. She had her purse in a flash and was ready to go.

As the two best friends hit the New York City pavement with a vengeance, Drew wasted no time coming out with it. "So Zac was over last night."

Mel smiled. "I wouldn't have known." Then she looked over at Drew. "But I'm not surprised."

"Well I sure as hell was," Drew said. "He stole my ID and then he practically stalked me." Drew then proceeded to tell Mel of the night's events after Mel had left the club. "And then we had sex. Again," she finished.

Mel screwed up her face and gave her a Look. "And you're having no problem with this?"

"Well," Drew admitted. "I don't know anymore. I mean I was, kinda, but now--Mel, please don't think I'm a horrible person. I never wanted to be labeled as a home-wrecker, but I think I might be...and I'm not quite sure I care..."

"Really..." Mel replied, in thought.

"I mean, I'm the one who's free, right? I'm the one who can do whatever I want. It's not my fault he's choosing to cheat on his wife. Right? Right?"

Mel laughed and shook her head. "Drew, that's pretty fucked up--"

"I know. I know it is, but it's like--I mean, I was there first, you know? It's almost like I feel entitled. I don't know how else to describe it. I mean, it does help to know that his wife is kind of a bitch..."

"What about the fact that he's a father?"

Drew flipped her hair off her shoulder. "Good god, please don't remind me. I mean, if he was truly happy in his marriage, do you think he'd be sleeping with me?"

"Drew, let me ask you a question. And don't take this the wrong way, please. But do you honestly believe, deep down in your heart, that Zac is going to divorce Kate? Like, ever?"

Drew sighed. "No...I honestly don't think he will..."

"Then why waste your time?"

The pair walked in silence for a couple of minutes as Drew contemplated Mel's question. As much as she hated to admit it, it was a good question. Why did she waste her time? After a moment, she had an answer. "Because what if he does? Leave her, I mean."

Now it was Mel's turn to think. "How do you feel right now? Right here, this second. How does this all make you feel?"

This time Drew didn't need to think about it. "Look, right now I just wanna have fun. And I think he does, too. I think we're just gonna see where this goes."

"Well. Okay then," was Mel's only response.

As they window shopped, Drew's wheels turned a mile a minute. She felt a calm. A relief. After the first time they had sex, she was a wreck. 'What did this mean?' 'How did she feel?' 'How did Zac feel?' She decided she didn't have time to bother with such things anymore. Why should she? After all, Zac was the one who was chasing her, not the other way around. If he didn't seem to be bothered by it, why should she? She had always been a care-free spirit. Why should she change who she was now?

Then she suddenly remembered Mel. "Oh my god, Mel! What happened with Jason?"

Mel began to giggle, much to Drew's amusement. "Mel!" Drew continued. "What happened? Are you guys an item or something?"

Mel shook her head as she gathered her composure. "Drew," she said. "I don't know where you plucked him from but you stuck me with the cream of the crop, let me tell you."

"Uh, I actually didn't. Kevin was just like, 'Hey, I have a single friend' and I was just like 'Okay, cool bring him along,' and that was pretty much the end of it. I never met him before last night. So what is going on?"

"Jason is...one of a kind. It's almost as if he isn't even real. Nobody got to really see him for what he is at the club but afterward I got to know him and he is...he's really a spectacular human being. He came into my life for a reason, Drew. It was like--well, I don't want to call him a guardian angel, but he was damn close to it."

Drew was stunned. "Mel...Mel, wait." She knew what she wanted to say but she couldn't quite get it out. "Mel, I never did tell you but I had a feeling. The night of the show while I was writing your review, I had a feeling. It was weird. I never could explain it, but what if--"

Mel laughed. "Drew, no. No. Jason is very much real. And besides, that was weeks ago."

"I know, but--"

"Trust me on this," Mel said. "That wasn't what this was."

Drew bit her lip in contemplation as Mel continued to talk. "Jason opened my eyes to life. He has such a beautiful way of seeing things...I dunno if it's the whole Hawaiian thing or not, but after he left I felt like I'd just had a religious experience. Like all my worries and fears and sadness--like everything I had all bottled up just dissipated. Into dust..."

Drew couldn't help but to giggle. "Mel, you should hear yourself."

"I'm serious! He and I connected. Like...like...some force, I can't explain it. But it was different. There's no relationship to follow or anything. There were no grand gestures of love or anything like that. But we're going to stay friends and if we cross paths, we cross paths. It isn't something we're actively pursuing. We're leaving it up to chance. He lives his life, I live mine and if it happens it happens and if it doesn't then it doesn't. I've had a very enlightening weekend."

"So...was this before or after three rounds of sex?"

Mel looked at Drew deviously. "Oh this was in between. And during. And before and after. Damn, Drew. He really was the best sex I've ever had. And I'm flabbergasted that he went three times...I mean, the stamina of that man!"

"Maybe it's the Hawaiian thing."

"I don't know..."

"Well I'm glad he turned out well for you," Drew said. "I was kinda nervous when he and Tay got into it at the club..."

"Speaking of Tay..."

The two of them were walking into Christian Louboutin when Drew stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face Mel. "What are you gonna do?"

Mel smiled. "What do you know?"

"Where were you this morning?" Drew interrogated her.

"We met for coffee."

Drew pushed Mel back outside the door. "Dammit, leave it to Tay to ruin my potential future relationship with a $500 pair of Louboutins. I can't adequately focus on shoe shopping and have this conversation at the same time. Does he know about Jason?"

"He knows everything," Mel said. "I told him everything. And, Drew, honestly I'm over it. I mean, I'm over it all. I'm over the gloom and doom of years past and the confusion and the pressure. I'm done. Did you know I left my wedding rings and pistol at home today?"

Drew was beyond shocked. Probably more shocked than anything that had gone down since the guys had first walked back into their lives. She knew this was a huge deal. "Oh, Mel..."

"Well, it's time, you know? Jason told me that you can't let your past or your future dictate how you live right now. It's time for me to let John go. It's time for me to let it all go and just start over. I'm tired of living in the past. It's time to live for myself for once. And I told Tay. I told him exactly how I feel about him. Drew, I love him. I do. I mean, I didn't say THAT, but I told him that I felt for him what he felt for me. And he's not ready to get out of his marriage. He's not. And he may never be, I don't know. And I can't promise that I'll wait around for him. But I do love him. I really do."

Drew smiled and wrapped her arms around her best friend, fighting tears of joy. "Oh, Mel. I am so proud of you. I really am. You've come so far. I can't believe it took sex to make you see that light, but whatever it took I'm glad."

Mel laughed, embarrassed. "It wasn't the sex. That was just a bonus."

At that, Drew's cell phone went off. It had been relatively quiet all morning. Looking at her caller ID, she said to Mel. "Hold on, I gotta take this."

What is the source of all this pain that you've been dishingCould they be lies that maybe you've been fedConsider well the kind of stream where you've been fishingI'm like a book that is waiting to be read

TAYLOR Natalie sat next to Taylor on the plane, looking out the window in silence. She had hardly said two words to him all morning. He had tried to talk to her but she was practically the master of the cold shoulder.

Eventually, Tay quit trying and decided to let this little spell run its course. He kept himself occupied with his laptop, sampling tracks from some indie groups a friend had recommended.

He was comfortable. Slouched in his seat, ear buds in his ears, with his face in the screen, chewing on his fingernail, when Natalie abruptly reached over and pressed the power button on his laptop, turning it off. Startled, he took his ear buds out and straightened up in his seat.

"So, I had a little bit too much to drink last night," Natalie said quietly.

Taylor chose not to respond. If she was finally ready to talk he didn't want to ruin it.

She spoke slowly. "And I know that that's kind of out of character for me. And...there's a possibility I may have blown a little bit of last night out of proportion, since I can't be absolutely sure of how much of it I actually understood, considering the state I was in."

Tay wasn't sure where this was going, but he was glad she was finally speaking to him. He was ready for this entire weekend to be over.

Natalie continued. "But I did notice that, honestly, Mel and Jason seemed to be very into each other. They seem to have a great connection. They're good together."

"Heh," Tay said, uncomfortably, massaging his forehead. This was the last thing he wanted to hear but, in a way, he had to at least try to appreciate where Natalie was coming from. Perhaps this was her way of acceptance? He wasn't sure.

"What I don't understand is why you felt the need to pick a fight with him."

Quickly, Taylor replayed that episode in his mind. How drunk had she been? "Nat. He mouthed off at you. Of course I stepped in."

"Tay," she said quietly. "Are you sure that's what it was?"

He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He tried again, clearing his throat. "Uh, he said some very insulting things to me."

"Would you have found them insulting if they weren't true?"

He was growing increasingly uncomfortable and his palms were getting sweaty. "He was--Nat, he didn't even know what he was talking about--"

"She did look pretty spectacular," Natalie cut him off. "I could understand if you were staring at her. Heck, I couldn't even stop looking at her."

Taylor was completely speechless. It was a rare occasion where he was at an absolute loss for words. What was going on here? What was this? Was this a trap? What the hell was he supposed to do? Or say?

Natalie put her hand in his and looked him in the eye. "Let's just pretend this weekend never happened. I think it would be better that way."

All he could do was smile and nod in agreement. She smiled back at him, half-heartedly, and stared out the window once again. _______________________________________________

Come on this Musical Ride with meIt might just change the life you think you're gonna leadAnd if I'm right you might just stop and see

I'll take your breath awayShow you more than you have knownAnd every dayI'll give you all this nothing and more

Why are you waiting for what is left to knowThere is no reason you should be standing stillPick the destination and I'll pick the road

I'll take your breath awayShow you more than you have knownAnd every dayI'll give you all this nothing and moreI'll give you all this nothing and more

Don't make your mind up just yetThere's still so much for you to seeAnd every time you waste a moment you waste make believeI see it taking you holdYou must let go before it stopsThis confrontation you keep feeling is your heart

It's simple, but somehow, letting go's the hardest part

Come on this Musical Ride with meIt might just change the life you think you're gonna leadAnd if I'm right you might just stop and seeIt might just change your lifeIt might just blow your mind

MEL

Late that night, Mel found herself doing something she knew she probably shouldn't do. But she did it anyway. She hesitated at first. Then she took a swig of wine and hit the 'talk' button on her cell phone. Why the hell was she so nervous?

Mel was surprised when Jason picked up by the second ring. "Hey!" he said cheerfully when he answered. "How are you?"

"Um, I'm good. I'm good..."

"Hey, are you okay?" She could hear the smile in his voice. "You sound kind of nervous."

Jason laughed. "Mel, no. I don't think that at all. I'm actually glad that you called. I'm sitting here bored as shit on a layover in Seattle. I appreciate the distraction. What's up?"

"Jason, um, I called because..." Mel was having a hard time finding the right words to say. "Because soon after you left today, I sort of had a revelation. I thought about everything you said and I took it to heart and...I just...I feel like a completely different person now. That quickly. You changed my life. And--and I wanted to thank you." She realized that tears were beginning to stream down her face. She struggled to wipe them away and dry herself up before he heard her crying over the phone.

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Mel knew he was there because she could hear him breathing. Convinced that she had done wrong by calling, she was about to hang up on him when he finally spoke. "Uh, wow, Mel...wow..."

"I'm sorry--"

"No. No, no. You have nothing to be sorry about, I just--nobody's ever said anything like that to me before. Kinda shocked me for a minute. Um, yeah, I don't know what to say..."

"Well, I mean, you don't have to really say anything. I called because I just wanted you to know that...that's the reason you came into my life. I truly believe it. To snap me out of my funk. And it worked. I feel...refreshed, and new, and...alive!"

He laughed, shyly. "Um...I really didn't set out to do anything like that..."

"But that's what happened. And I am forever grateful and forever indebted to you--"

"I think indebted might be a little strong--really, Mel, that means a lot to me," he said, finally giving in to her words. "Really, it does. If--if making a difference in one person's life is what I've done then I'm absolutely content with my purpose on this Earth."

They were both silent for a moment. Then Mel said, "But don't think you're about to be rid of me or anything."

Jason laughed, seemingly appreciating the small bit of comic relief. "Are you kidding, I don't want to be rid of you! And in all honesty, I like the fact that you're so easy to talk to. I, uh, don't have any siblings or a lot of family or anything and my job can leave me kind of a loner sometimes, so--knowing there's someone out there on the other end of this phone is comforting."

Mel smiled into the phone. "Well I have no problem being that someone."

"I'd like that," he responded.

Suddenly, his flight was being called. They promised to keep in touch and terminated the call.

Mel sighed in relief as she put down her phone. Tying up loose ends was probably one of the most freeing feelings in the world. __________________________________________

Unfortunately, her relief in tying up loose ends was short-lived. She was sitting at her desk at the Times the next morning when she got a call she never expected to get.

"Melody Bradshaw? Hello, this is Richard Kirkland from the Law Offices of Kirkland and Neese."

"Um, law office?" Mel asked, startled. There was a feeling forming in her gut and she had no idea why. "I don't remember filing any suits or anything of that nature. And I can't think of anyone who would want to file one against me..."

Her heart sank. She wanted to vomit. She knew it. It had to be Jason. He was in a plane crash. Yet it had only been 12 hours? And why would they contact her? She knew it anyway. She couldn't bear to hear the rest. She knew his presence had been nothing short of spiritual. This was just the cruel reality of it.

"Ma'am, I regret to inform you of the passing of Mrs. Bernice Maxwell Bradshaw. We will need to meet with you as soon as possible in our office regarding her will. I, uh, assumed you already knew."

Mel felt as if the breath had been knocked out of her. She hadn't seen this coming. Not for...well, she just didn't see it. She, nor John, had had contact with his mother since...well, not since their wedding day when she had tried to sabotage their wedding. Bernice had highly objected to the marriage, siting Mel as unfit to wed her son. John had come from a very prominent and obscenely wealthy family. Mel had not--she was virtually a nobody. He had no brothers or sisters, nor aunts or uncles. His mother's objection to their marriage completely tore John apart. She threatened to cut him out of her will and his response was to break his ties with her. Then he had died, without ever reconciling with his mother. Mel had only seen Bernice one other time, and that was at John's memorial service. Even then she had been cold toward her.

And now she was dead. And they needed to schedule an appointment with MEL to go over the will? The entire thing was so surreal. Her head spun.

"Ms. Bradshaw?"

"Um, yes. Yes, I'm sorry. I'm just in a little shock here. I, uh, had no idea. When did you need to see me?"

She set up the appointment with the attorney and sat in shock when she put her phone down. She had a sinking suspicion that life was about change once again. ____________________________________

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